Bio-Electronics
Sitemap --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Bio-Electronics --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- * See Also Era_Computers * See Also The_Thinker * See Also Computers * See also Era_Electronics Bio-Electronic Idea Summary : The Possibility - nerve cells do similar logic operations to tubes/transistors/ICs. ADAM can genetically manipulate tissue/cells, so a result : organic computer components (and miniaturized far from what was available 1940s - 50s (even in the 60s)). Artificial Intelligence requires a huge amount of processing ability, so miniaturization, mass production (masses of circuitry required for the complexity needed ...) would move computers towards that goal. Real (living) nerve tissue can self-organize (in useful ways), so that is another component for achieving the computing scale needed for 'The Thinker' (( '' Even if it was just a simulation of intelligence -- AND not being anything close to sapience -- which BTW, WE 60 years later still have not gotten anywhere close to, in our Real World. '' )) You can still mix in more conventional technologies (like copper wires and transistors) to interface outside of this 'organic computer', and many things being controlled can still employ vacuum tubes and relays. --- --- --- --- --- Another Kind of "Bio" Shock - An Early(er) Computer Revolution : Bio-Electronics ... Its still not gonna be your 'smartphones' and 'tablets', but even simple computer smarts/logic can solve problems that hampered certain mechanisms/processes (like simple Automation), or could replace far more complicated mechanical solutions (and thus can lower costs and make some things cheaper/easier/more-possible to produce). That includes basic devices we have today (which were Science Fiction in the 50s (even 60s)) which USE miniature Computers/Control-logic/Transistors for various appliances and tools (miniature TVs, TV Cameras, TV Monitors, digitized data, primitive computer terminals, complex automatic controls, etc ...). Rapture existed back when Vacuum Tubes were STILL largely the mainstay of the real world's electronics. --- --- --- Computer Tubes By the Thousands (Why Rapture Wouldn't Have Many Early Computers) : They fail and need to be replaced. The type of tubes used aren't a simple product, and they need to be mass-produced for the numbers required. Expensive to make locally (and the 1952 cutoff of the Surface eliminates outside sources). Large computers bigger than accounting/billing systems have limited utility, so it is hard for them TO PAY FOR their existance in Rapture. McClendon was looking at Transistors (invented 1949) to find better alternatives and eventually turned to Bio-Electronics. - Those Old Tube Testing Machines (MMORPG Prop) : Tube Test MAchine Pix All those TVs and radios, record players etc.. Many in Rapture would use tubes. Tubes burnout/fail and you have to test and replace them. Self-serve mechanisms allowed people to "do it themselves" (standard tubes made it fairly simple). There should be many of these somewhere in Rapture AND manufacture/remanufacture of replacements (for all the many thousands of tube based appliances used in Rapture). --- --- --- A Major Bio-Electronocs Breakthrough Came : Electron Microscopes (used in medical research) were in use (we saw them repeatedly in the Solo games) for various ADAM related research. Electron Microscopes employ a vacuum to contain the viewed subject, allowing scanning by an electron beam. Vacuum is a Semi-Conductor (as used in real Vacuum Tube Electronics). Similar development had been started 100 years ago with glass Vacuum Tubes. Thus an important element for the Bio-Electronic revolution in Rapture was the discovery of a Semi-Conducting effect seen on some ADAM test specimens (observed while IN an Electron Microscope). The potential electronic use was realized by McClendon, who was at the time attempting to improve miniaturization of his Electronic products (transistors had been invented/produced on The Surface by that time, but were large, temperamental and expensive). McClendon's further research/development discovered that living nerve cells, if treated/modified properly, could act as Electronic Diodes and Transistors, Logic Gates -- and that this could be done at a VERY small scale. Additionally, they could be GROWN and guided into useful circuit patterns which each normally took many dozens of discrete (individual) conventional components. This technology was what McClendon had been looking for. --- --- --- Neuristor (bio-transistors) one of those great Rapture tecnological feats : The electronic Synapse & Axon - the making of. Engineering the Technology was greatly short-cutted by utilizing existing biological mechanism (nerve cell structures) instead of creating it from scratch (largely impossible genetically). ((Just about all genetic engineering done EVEN TODAY is still just recombining existing genetic material)) Made possible by ADAM manipulation of cell genetics to do a process of growing/forming the desired semi-natural nerve structure groupings of cells to do the complex electronic function required for the computing/logic ). This would be outgrowth of Plasmid research, which modified human body structures (which is much more complicated and harder to do *In Situ*). It would(should) initially have been based around SeaSlug nerve cells, which got ALOT of investigation in Rapture (as you might expect). Real Nerve Cells interconnect potentially with hundreds of other cells with very small fibers (features which could only be partially fabricated in the Real World 40 years later). Inducing natural nerve cells to form grids to facilitate useful logic interconnects was an early achievement (child's-play compared to making Bees (or whatever) come out of your hands). This technology uses the natural 'learning' nerve feedback, shaping/training the arrays of cells while 'alive' to build/shape/force the desired interconnection 'logic' to process binary/analog input patterns in complex ways, which generate expected 'programmed' outputs (thus computing the desired useful logic functions). Then there would be 'baking' process to fix the function permanently into a post-biological circuit, after 'doping' conductive chemicals (like metal ions) so the cell structure will function electronically afterwards. The 'baked' cell functions would then operate using normal transistor/electronic physics in a pattern similar to the original 'trained' living neuro-functioning cell. Electronic signals going into the circuit are processed and appropriate electronic signals then come out of the circuit. Finding a way to translate/convert the natural cell into working electronics was the 'trick' and once that was found all kinds of opportunities became possible. ADAM modified the cell's genetics to form useful interconnections and train easily, and to then be triggered to start absorbing various chemicals which on 'baking' would make the 'fixed' cell function electronically. The natural cell's inbuilt/original 'learning' mechanism was not needed, so THAT complexity could be ignored/lost (a simplification). Attempts to use continuously 'living' cells as components failed because they continue to change (and even die eventually) and were not easily/practically able to be connected to standard electronic circuits. Pre-Planar process transistor electronics are used to interface with this hardened Bio-Electronic circuitry. These circuits usually have alot of excess cells involved because of the fundamental way Neuro-Nets operate. But because they are small (ie- 10 microns, 10000 per square millimeter), all those extras cells don't take up that much space (thousands of functioning 'gates' in the space of a typical discrete transistor of that time). Each cell also can actually perform the function of hundreds of transistors. Simple vision functions takes millions of cells and a structuring of different patterns of Neuristors mimicking a real brain's overall structure, with a progression of different functions (optical feature processing, pattern detection/interpretation, situational conclusion). - An important second generation of development used the production(growing) of reusable 'molds' which once formed (trained correctly) and 'baked' could be used in a process to stamp out/replicate various circuitry patterns. This facilitated faster and easier (cheaper) mass production of certain useful logic patterns (ex- computer memory which utilized millions of replications of the same simple circuit) (ex- "R-34 Wire Cluster" which on having a simple Neurister feed back mechanism added became 9000% more reliable). - Brain Boost (ADAM Tonic) greatly accelerated the development of this technology (one of those meta level collaboration accelerations of technology). It took just a few Manic researchers, who couldn't sleep, who delved into all kinds of odd things (some of which turned up some astounding Tech). Hmm, Brain Boost (or a derivative) could help accelerate the learning process employed to 'Train' the Neurister nerve cells, Later, the resulting Computer Tech sped up cell training by magnitudes -- lowering costs to develop this technology for Consumer Products (the Business of Rapture is Business -- after all). Voila (behold!), even more money for further tech developments, and enabling more complex uses ... The Thinker's system employed third generation neuro-electronics and the independent work with N-Gram Big Daddy Conditioning combined to create that Artificial Intelligence. (NOTE- Porters memories of his wife 'made her' real to him, so that N-Grams recorded/taken from HIM were utilized to create that artificial personality (in effect he saw what he remembered). -- Interesting sidebar - use of human tissues in this Research - Ethics in Rapture - cutting open the brains of "Experimental Subjects" and extracting tissues to be use for this electronic stuff (to make money - not just to 'save lives', as much Medical research purports to do). As in Persephone - if you sign the Waiver and sign up for the 'Experimental' Program (and it spells out reasonably honestly whats involved and what the risks are). (Alot of the BioShock Players probably don't know that this was actually common practice in the US in the 40s and 50s - use of prison/jail inmates for various experimentation). But then, alot of the research was based on the less 'legally entwined' SeaSlug tissues which were simpler and more robust than human tissues. --- Idea - if the Thinker could mimic Porter then have it mimic Ryan (in a "Twist" Ryan arranges it to make believe he's alive - but is really the Thinker - but then (wheels within wheels) actually HE IS still alive (not great, but better than the stupid/lame/illogical suicide 'twist' we got). --- --- --- Tictactoe.jpg|Early computer game - an actual achievement for THAT time File:Onetuberadio.jpg|One tube (inexpensive) radio mechanism - Rapture was quite a bit past this --- --- --- Small on the Inside - Circuitry : The Bio-Electronic circuits have the same problem that modern computers have -- inside, within their micro/dinky 'integrated' circuitry, they can do things very fast, but they then have to interface outwards to less sophisticated technologies, which are not as fast and generally are very large and clumsy. SO the problem is : to try to do as MUCH as possible while INSIDE the Bio-Electronics before having to transition outward ( thus with less constant in/out data flow to slow things down, and passing of control instructions inward ). A similar advantage is that the size of the circuitry means that very small currents and voltages are invoved, which then has to transition (amplify) to much higher currents and voltages externally to work/interact with other electrical machinery. This also means that the Bio-Electronic circuitry is susceptible to electromagnetic interference and to damage from overcurrents, so that the circuitry needs adaquate protections in its various use environments. --- --- --- Good as Gold : "One gold coin can provide enough gold wire/thread for thousands of bio-electronic circuits" - McClendon Note To Players - Those corpses you bring back for 'salvage' - you might want to have a pair of pliars handy for any gold teeth ... Small very thin wires (out of pure gold) can be created -- using a metalworking technology (real world) thousands of years old. Handy in making Vacuum Tubes also (and gold is used in plating for all kinds of electrical equipment). Would Rapture Dollars be gold ? The coins get pretty small even when gold was $35 an ounce (denominations had been $2.50, $5, $10 & $20 Dollar in the 30s, when it was ~$20 and ounce). --- --- --- Glass - A Well Understood Insulator Material to be Utilized for Electronics : Miniature Glass fabrication was an important part of Rapture's Bio-Electronic technology. First to produce thin flat glass (something like microscope slide glass) used as the 'board' material for Bio-Electronic circuits (it needed to be a good insulator). The shaped glass is smoothed/polished. Melted dimples and etched/scratched lines are added on the glass (use to contain/support the various circuit materials). Various materials Biological and mineral are deposited in these gaps. Scraping the glass flat in final stages, leave only the indented areas filled and the surface flat enough for 2 surfaces to be joined with no significant gap (and to bring materials on each surface together for circuit continuity). Being able to do these processes repeatedly/consistently for some more complex circuits, which had to be built up in stages and then scraped/polished/cleaned for the next build stage (The 'training' stages have temporary materials added to facilitate them, and these get removed afterwards). In some cases, vapor depositing of conductive metals (over the whole surface) would be used which would fill the space indented in the glass, and then on polishing leave the metal ONLY in the indents (making circuit traces). Glass of course beings a very good insulator as a substrata for the electrical circuits being built. The techniques use could be automated (not done manually), which would allow production prices/difficulties to be lowered/lessened significantly. - The idea of Programmable Logic (used in so many devices these days) assists in creating complex control circuitry which would be far more difficult (and expensive) if done wholy using discrete analog or mechanical circuitry. You still need conventional (era) electronics (transistor or tube and relays) for the needed power actuators for various devices (motors/solenoids/pumps etc) and to generate/feed IN the sensor data the circuitry's functioning requires. --- --- --- Micro Details : Early Bio-Electronic glass substrata had been stamped to hold the 'biological material' within a well pre-designed pattern (similar technology for fine details were already being done as small - like ordinary Phonograph Record grooves being stamped in plastic with as many as 9 grooves per millimeter ...) Useful when the circuits design called for a regular patterns (grids/arrays). Micro-Pantograph mechanisms can be used to 'carve' the master Stamp Molds (in metal) for such patterned circuitry (used then to stamp glass). Precisely photo etching numerous circuits that way would be far too costly for the uses they would be put to (archaic modern computers requiring million of transistors - current ones BILLIONS). --- --- --- An Interesting *TODAY* (REAL WORLD) Technology : Using 3D Printers to lay out patterns of cultured nerve cells to rebuilt damage to " sensory and motor functions of complex nerves " (to be imbedded surgically into patients). Previously I had heard talk of using similar 'printing' technology to assist in regenerating Liver tissue (the Liver is a highly self regenerative organ) and for culturing skin (extremely important for treating burn victims). This adds ideas for medical applications using ADAM's properties (Medical uses most probably were the very first ADAM research done in Rapture before the *Firing Fireballs Out Of Arseholes* stuff happened). XY Plotter type machines have been around since the 50s, so that technology could potentially be allowed in Rapture. Scaled down with a micro-pantograph it might also be usable for some of the fine inscribing work/cell depositing used to make the Bio-Electronics. --- --- --- Bio Tech Microglia - Support Cells Microglia promote learning-dependent synapse formation through a brain-derived neurotrophic factor. (Plain English : Part of the cell mechanism that allows brain cells to learn). So these would be one of the 'factors' introduced in the guiding Phases of the growth-building of Bio-Electronic applied cells. The Cells natural function when placed upon an organized structure and with various signal patterns applied would be used to form the desired electronic logic. --- --- --- ' RSAM (A Programming Technical Innovation) ' : R'apture '''S'equential 'A'ccess 'M'ethod (a basic database management system) : Locally developed version of an ISAM/VSAM type database programming data structure (important for organizing data on 'Files' and 'Tapes' and across Networks). Its a 'library' of functionality used by other programs. (IBM released their equivalent in 1964 - so we can push it a little bit). One of those programming projects that a single person could successfully develop (program), which would be an important aspect for such useful things in Rapture, given the idea and the hardware capable of doing the processing (its is something simple enough which could be written in assembly/machine code). A variant/expansion of this would be used for the 'distributed' nature of the later computer systems (tracking/finding/retieving data across a bunch of computers). --- --- --- '''How to Build a 64Kb(bit) ROM Memory Using Bio-Electronics : ROM memory (Read Only Memory) is used to hold static programs and static (unchanging) data (and keeps its data when the power is turned off). It is very useful for machines which don't need to be powered-up all the time to retain their programs, and to NOT have to wait to be reprogrammed after being turned on (or which glitch alot and have to be rebooted constantly). Additional Read/Write type memory is required for the temporary data used by the programs (and can be a much smaller amount depending on the functionality required). One biological method is : To create a number of Neural Net networks, each existing for a single bit output (for 1 bit of the machines 'word' memory width), and then group as many of those separate 'bits' circuits as you need to provide the computers memory 'words' (a set of 'bits' sharing the same address input which simultaneously/in-parallel outputs the bytes/words of data the computer needs). A typical 'word' length for computers was 8bit(byte), 16 bits/24 bits/whatever (many odd sizes in those early days). Each bit's memory values are independent of all the other bits. 64K (65536) = 16 input lines for memory address (to access 2^16 separate values) uses 16 parallel on-off address input values to stimulate the circuitry -- to make an 'address' request for the data stored for that memory address. The actual storage is done by many more thousands of interconnections between the 'memory' cells. When the signals flow through all the cells cumulative output (amplitude) is measured which is then interpreted as and on-off value, which then is converted to a 1 or 0 digital value use by the computer. Training the ROM values (setting the data into the device) - makes use of nerve cell structure and function to form a circuit, which through neural cell-type interaction returns the correct 1 bit value when the whole circuit is stimulated by any specific address combination (0 - 65535) of those 16 inputs signal lines. (It is something like retrieving a memory in YOUR brain where a pattern of signals causes groups of cells to match a pattern of association, and then results in another pattern being retrieved). About 90000 nerve cells (each having thousands of connections to other cells) should be sufficient to form the Neural Net for 64K bits of memory. That number of human nerve cells (in Reality) can fit into a drop of water. Positive and Negative input signals (originating from the 16 memory address inputs - a '1' or '0' signal on the address lines) travels across the bit's circuit (the interconnected nerve cells), act by combining/canceling and summing within layers of nerve cells resolving into a single stable output. The circuit's "baking" (the process of killing and mineralizing the cells, but keeping the data flow logic patterns) would be done once the circuit has been 'trained' correctly (that is it answers correctly/consistently to each of those 64K different 16 bit patterns of its address signal inputs). The mediocre yield (Pass/Success rate) for this manufacturing process also makes it prudent to make the circuit as simple as possible (ie- for 1 bit, or smaller than 64K if allowable ). The 'baking' conversion also speeds up operation into a purely electrical mechanism, versus the chemical interaction of living nerve cells which generally activate only around 100 times a second (far too slow for any significant calculations). An advantage of doing the memory 'bits' as separate circuits is that they sometimes train incorrectly in their data pattern (Fail) and must be thrown away. SO each bit would be trained separately (a circuit 1/16th the size), with a test process rejecting and throwing out the defective 'bit' circuits -- thus not wasting the manufacture done for each of the other bits (which would be necessary if they were all in one big circuit). The grouped memory circuit of 8/16/24/32 bits sub-circuits containing the desired data then would be assembled for use as ROM in the computer. Sometimes, simpler computers need only a little data memory for their program, and at the cost of running slower, can access memory serially, and making use of a single 'bit' circuit. 64Kbits = 8K bytes, which is more than enough for some computer 'controller' automatic program operations. Circuits of 32K bits or 16K bits are easier to make (versus 64k), if that is all the memory size that computer needed. --- --- --- Idea for A Bio-Electronic Manufacturing Mechanism : For the (glass) Substrata Etching used to form 'circuitry' guides for the living nerve tissue pattern's growth phase. Etch-a-Sketch type mechanism - a 2 axis rotating indexing knobs working jackscrews using rotary relays, controlled by a 'card' driven indexing mechanism (like a Jacquard Loom (a 200+ year old control technology - maybe later would be computer-tape controlled). Can also be used to 'drill' dimples/depressions in the flat surface where organic tissue is later paced. 'Pantograph' arm mechanism that scales the primary (driving) movement down to draw sub-millimeter features (using a Diamond or Carborundum tipped tool, etching the glass substrate). The line and 90 degree turn movements of an Etch-a-Sketch (toy) are reminiscent of many early circuit board formats. Allows mass production manufacturing, when used for line etching (along with multi tooth 'comb' pattern cutters for parallel lines, and hot pattern stamping, and silkscreen masked depositing of materials). Diamond point tool (nice - there might be a Bounty for Diamond jewelry you find out in the wilds of Rapture) is used (becaus eof its hardness) to scratch glass (which will then need annealing later to moderate/smooth the weak fracture points on the thin glass). --- --- --- Early Memrister Technology ? ''' : A Substance that by application of electricity is physically changed (Written), and that state can be detected independently in a 'READ' operation (it acts as a resistor or as a conductor), and on applying (WRITE) a higher voltage (forward/reversed current) changes its properties - to be one or the other conducting behavior to set its 'bit' to '1' or '0'.) The state remains/persists even when the power is turned off. Potentially a simpler circuit than core memories, and potentially smaller as it can employ a material plating at the intersection of two signal wires (you would have a 2D array of such wires to form a non-volatile computer memory component). Such substances are thought to have been first found in 1808. "Write" speed (of altering the substance), and the stability and repeatability of the operation typically would be its limitations. Those would have to be improved in Rapture - since this isn't "wave-the-hand" Infinite BS fantasy. Having some of these technologies prove to be too-difficult/too-expensive/impractical would be part of the game's story -- they really only get mentioned as part of the background story. In Rapture there was potential to use this component for artificial 'Neurons', but fabrication issues would not produce sufficient miniaturization (data densities) for useful NN (neural net) applications (and was superseded by ADAM-based organic circuits, which used natural self-organization to build the required logic function). This might be potentially-useful as Electrically Alterable ROM memory when the Bio-Electronic memory first worked better as statically written ROM (unchangeable data). --- --- --- '''Electronic Indicators : Bioluminescent (based on another area of research) indicator on various bio-modules indicate/annunciate basic functioning (green) and problem states (Ohhh Noooos!! Its flashing RED -- the Bio-circuitry is ANGRY !!!) Probably you won't have to pull vacuum tubes every 15 minutes like those WW2 era computers (the tube quality eventually went up later, and they didn't have to do that much maintenance anymore). Blinkey Lights are likewise accepable (The expected public image of a 'computer' is an array of blinkey lights, as well as a tape drive thingee spinning). All those little lights on the components look so pretty ... (and are EASY game special effects, which make it look more animated - like something is happening, even if they are blinking randomly). Pretty glowey effects can only be a Plus. --- --- --- --- --- . .